Dave Danforth is everywhere – except court

ASPEN – Newspaper publisher Dave Danforth didn’t appear in court Wednesday to face a trespassing charge – instead he had an attorney represent him – but his presence was still felt all over town.

While local attorney Chip McCrory was entering his appearance on behalf of Danforth, the owner of the Aspen Daily News, locals were wondering who the culprit was for the red “Free Dan Daveforth!!!” signs plastered on storefronts, buildings and street lamps in the downtown core.

It was hard to stroll a block without noticing one; they were taped to the windows of Main Street Bakery, Carl’s, even The Aspen Times.

And the place where Danforth got in trouble – the Locals Corner – boasted more than a half-dozen of them.

Recommended Stories For You

Danforth, meanwhile, was in California. He wouldn’t comment on the case, but offered some commentary about the postings around town.

“I always appreciate fine art,” he said. “Other than that I have no comment.”

Danforth, 60, was summonsed in the early morning of Oct. 9 for trespassing after he and a clerk at a local gas station allegedly argued about the tax on the purchase of a newspaper. Police said he refused to leave the Locals Corner store around 2 a.m. when asked repeatedly by the worker and responding officers.

The day after the arrest, Danforth told The Aspen Times that he merely made an offhand remark to the clerk as Danforth was leaving the store, “something about, ‘Have you fixed your tax problem?'”

Danforth and store officials apparently had a long-running feud about whether a tax was being charged on the sales of newspapers, police said.

At Wednesday’s brief hearing, McCrory told municipal Judge Brooke Peterson that he had just recently been retained and needed more time to get acquainted with the case. The case was continued to Nov. 17.

In the meantime, Peterson told McCrory that Danforth is required to go to the jail house to have his fingerprints taken.